Ends of the World
by CohenTheKitty
Summary: A random possibility for what happens after Dead Man's Chest. First Pirates fic. JackElizabeth
1. Chapter 1

_Ends of the World_

**Chapter One**

_River of Dreams_

AN/Disclaimer- I just got back from seeing Dead Man's Chest and I must confess, I'm slightly. . .irked? Not really disappointed, but definitely irked. This is NOT an "official" sequel to the film, nor is it intended to be what I think should absolutely be the way of it, it's the creation of after movie jitters and ideas. I don't own anyone unless you've never seen them before.

Pairings: Begins Wil/Elizabeth and will end Will/OC and Elizabeth/Jack

Warnings: Some sensuality and violence, disturbing passages.

* * *

Elizabeth Swann gazed into the river water with a bored, tired expression. Her heavy, tear reddened eyes never strayed from the cold liquid even as Barbossa and Will talked about how they planned to "get Jack back", it all went past her. She would be utterly confused come morning, when they would set sail. Finally, as the chirping of crickets and frogs sang her to sleep, a cool breeze easing the stress from a heat filled voyage, her eyes slid shut and head grew limp against her fiance's shoulder.

Her eyes slid open and she gazed all about the Black Pearl, it was empty, but it was sailing, as if mechanically. She climbed to stand near the helm, her eyes scanning the ship for any sign of life. She sighed softly and went to the railing, leant her forearms against it and gazed out over the water, jumped with a soft gasp when she heard someone speaking behind her.

"Beautiful, i'nt it?"

She turned to face Jack, her normally "fixed" hair was slowing in the breeze and the moment she set eyes on him she could feel how his lips had felt against hers. She stared at him for what seemed like hours, unsure of what to say. Tears began to fill her dark eyes and she looked down quickly, shame and pain filled her voice as she finally spoke to him. "I'm . . I lied Jack, I am sorry. So sorry."

Jack approached her and she noticed he did not smell, as he often did. In fact, his clothes were almost "decent" as well, the only thing that had not changed about his appearance was his hair and those deep dark eyes. His hand slid over her face and she noticed, they were smoother than she had remembered them, this truly must have been a dream. "Don't you see pet? This is where I'm happiest, out on the sea, with my ship and no one else. . ." He shook his head slightly. "It all was this way until I met you, you stubborn loud git. Now there's you and I don't want to let you go." He was silent for a long time. "I don't want to let him have you."

She watched him, her warm, salty tears spilling out over her face. She sniffled and tried to inhale as deeply as she could, her bottom lip between both rows of teeth. "Oh, I do hate that this has to be a dream." She whispered. "Because you're a captain . ."

"Aye, I'm a captain. But Miss Swann, who said this is only a dream?" He did not bother to explain, his face carved out into that mischievous grin that he always wore when stressing a missed point. But he did not try to make her understand, withdrew a ring from his hand and took hers, slid it on. "Do you Elizabeth Swann take me, Captain Jack Sparrow, to be your husband?"

_This is madness, he's vile. He's beastly, he cares nothing for anyone but himself!_ She stared at him questioningly for a moment and then wet her dry lips quickly, nodded softly before responding. "I do." _He's a man, and a good one._

"As do I." He murmured before bending and claiming a kiss from her, it was brief but it was enough to set her senses aflame. She leant into him and returned the kiss with an ardor she had not even thought to share with Will. He was so young and. . .like her. But he wasn't _just_ like her. Her hands slid into Jack's shirt and her body pressed to his and quickly, he broke the kiss and stepped back. "I don't have enough time, that part'll have to wait, love." She was disappointed, pressed her nose to his chin. "Not long, the moment we're together when you find me."

She had no hopes of waking up and ever seeing him look at her that way again, the one chance she had to be his wife, was now ruined. "I suppose so." She said softly, her eyes lowered to stare at her bare feet on the deck. Jack lifted her chin gently so she was looking into his eyes.

"I know I'm dishonest. I'm a downright rotten scumbag but if you trust me, I swear you will not regret it. Only you can trust me now, Elizabeth, I have no more reason to lie to you." He said softly, moving back from her. "Time for me to go now."

"I trust you, Jack." She said hurriedly as he stepped back, caused him to pause. "I mean it still, I have faith in you." She held tightly to his hand, almost afraid now to let him go. He, who she had once despised so much. Jack Sparrow, a liar, a thief, a pirate.

"Bye, love." He said softly as he disappeared.

Elizabeth woke in someone's arms, gazed up at Will and yawned. She stretched very little as he carried her to bed on the ship, accepted a goodnight kiss from him on her cheek and then turned onto her side. He left her in the room and she looked curiously down at her hands, nearly leapt from her skin when she saw the large, gold ring on the finger Jack had placed it on. She smiled very softly, even more anxious for Barbossa to take them to the place he was at.

She found, however that her dreams were empty now, and so she got up from bed late into the night and walked out onto the deck in her gown and robe. She walked to the railing and leant her elbows onto it, gazed out into the water as she had before hers and Jack's wedding. _Wedding. . .wedding. . . good God Elizabeth Swann! . . Sparrow. . ._ She smiled very slightly at this and jumped when a gruff male voice sounded behind her.

"It's mighty late to be standing out on the deck in naught but your nightgown. . ." He grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him, immediately seized her left hand and examined the ring. "Mrs. _Sparrow_!" He looked at her with surprise and demanded. "When did this happen? When could it have happened?"

Elizabeth yanked her hand free. "As his wife, I do not wish to answer anything you have to ask me." She said coldly. "Besides, it doesn't matter when it happened." Her eyes trailed away, rather sad, still apprehensive.

"It does if it happened in your sleep." He said lowly, grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into the cabin. He brought her to sit and shut and locked the door, lit an oil lamp and set about lighting some candles so the room wasn't quite so dark.

Elizabeth was silent until he'd lit several candles and was no longer facing her. "How did you know? . . . I .I mean." She wet her suddenly very dry lips. "Why does it matter had it happened while I was asleep?"

Barbossa looked at her with a very soft smile and moved to sit across from her, his fingers sliding to net together beneath his chin. "Jack got use of a friendly little trinket a few years ago, it allows one to visit the one person they want to see the most's dreams, and to shape them." He paused to let her think on what he had just told her. "A ring, gold with an onyx oval setting." She remembered it.

"If you and Jack were wed in your sleep, that means Jack's still alive. At least to some extent. And he still has that ring. How did he look in the dream? Broken up?"

"No." She said, shaking her head. "He was perfectly fine, in fact, he looked better than usual, well kept. . ." She said, starting to worry a bit.

"Then he is fine, and the good looks were just for charm appeal on your part." He said with a little grin. "Now the only trouble is that we have to find him. Did he say he'd come see you again?"

She shook her head, wiped her eyes a little. "No, he said he'd see me when we found him."

"He doesn't know where he is then." Barbossa said softly, looking around the cabin room. He sighed and stood, retrieved Jack the Monkey. The little creature tilted it's head and shrieked as it looked at the ring on Elizabeth's finger and Barbossa nodded with a low purring sound of agreement. "You're right, Jack. The boy should not know, not yet. Not until we find him."

"I shouldn't keep this from Will, it would be dishonest." She said softly, lifting her eyes from the gold to Barbossa's mad gaze. "I'm not a dishonest person, Captain Barbossa." She regretted the words almost immediately but did not make any attempt to withdraw the statement.

"Oh really?" He leant closer with a sarcastic smile. "_Miss Turner._" He chuckled softly and stood from the leaning position he'd been in to stalk about the cabin, his arms folded regally behind his back. "I'll give yeh this much, one lie isn't much to condemn a person but marrying Jack Sparrow, that just may."

"_Captain_." She corrected softly. "Captain Jack Sparrow." Her voice was soft and lacking it's usual spark, rather blunt and tired. "If you'll excuse me Captain, I think I need to go and get my rest now. I don't want Will to know I was up half the night if I'm to be able to convince him nothing has changed." She stood and unlocked the door, walked out onto the deck to go to the stairs leading to her cabin, when Barbossa grabbed her shoulder, she turned to him with a raised brow.

"We'll find Jack, he'll owe me big time but after that, I can't imagine anything going wrong."

"But that's just it, Barbossa." She said with a little annoyance. "Something _always_ does." She hurried down the stairs and shortly after he heard her door shut. Will walked up the stairs a few moments later, tired and looking confused.

"What's going on?"

"Oh," He took a drink off his canteen. "She's just having some post-wedding jitters."

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Read. Review. Please. Thanks. 


	2. Chapter 2

_Ends of the World_

_**Chapter Two**_

_A Fever You Can't Sweat Out_

* * *

Will blinked a few times as he stared at Barbossa's smiling face, and could not help but need to rub the sleep from his eyes. "I'm sorry, what do you mean, 'post wedding jitters'?" He asked tiredly, but also with a spark of interest Barbossa had not seen in him during their two hour long discussion on rescuing Jack from the hideous Davy Jones' punishment.

"Oh well, your failed wedding, in a fury over it. Rather jittery about ever marrying _you_." He moved to walk away and could almost smell the indignant and angry scowl on the younger man's face, so he turned back to him. "You know, I can almost feel it burning off you, the anger, of having watched him hold her, watched their mouths together. And you know, as much as she says it was to trick him, and as much as you like to tell yourself that, it sure looked good, didn't it?" He whispered before returning to work, leaving Will to bite his lip hard.

In the morning Elizabeth came onto deck rather tiredly but tried her hardest to smile at Will when he looked over to her from his train of thought. He hadn't slept, or gone to bed since Barbossa's taunt, and he could tell she had hardly slept as well. He moved to her and bent to draw her into a heated kiss, hotter than usual. He wouldn't give her up so easy. She was limp in his arms so he bent to take both of her hands and that was when he felt it. It was cold and harm in his palm, unlike her soft, warm sun kissed skin.

He blinked and pulled his mouth from hers, gazed into her suddenly anxious and frightened eyes. She opened her mouth to speak and began to sputter a few useless sounds as he looked at her left hand, his hurt eyes moved to her face now and she saw tears burning in them as he bit back that hard feeling in his throat. "Elizabeth?"

She moved away from him, her hands clasped nervously before her. She wet her lips and gazed about until she found something in her heart to say to him, tears choking her voice slightly, dampened her soft cheeks with glistening salty wetness. "In all the Spanish Main at any point in time I never thought I'd be here, William. Married, yet alone. Twenty years old, the daughter of the governor, once engaged to a commodore, once to a blacksmith and then. . .wed. To a. . . a pirate."

"But I am here, Will. It isn't easy for me to tell you this, to let you go. But. . . I don't know. The love I feel for you is something I feel for no one else but I fear that very quickly, it has become an expectant love. I'll get captured and you'll come and rescue me and we'll all have a grand, wide terrifying adventure." She swallowed past the growing lump in her throat, wiped at her eyes and turned to face him. "I can't say that I love him, Will. I barely now him but I know. . that I need this. Need him. We're so alike, Jack and I."

Will watched her, his face growing damper and damper with tears. "I would have given everything for you. I risked everything for you. My job, my lifestyle, my freedom. You're a fool, Elizabeth. You're a fugitive of the law and so am I, but Jack, he's just a downright enemy of the law, and you would become engaged to the likes of that?"

Elizabeth shook her head slightly, her hair sticking to one cheek, causing one eye to be blocked. She flicked the hair away quickly. "No, Will we're not engaged. We're married, we were married. Jack is the captain of a vessel and well, we were able to wed." She sniffled. "I know this hurts you and is a shock and everything but we made a vow to come here, this is for Jack."

"I didn't say _anything_ when I saw you two kissing!" He blurted suddenly just as she finished speaking. "I never said a word when I saw him watch you, when I saw you watch him. When Barbossa said that you two wanted each other. I loved you so much to trust you and you married my worst enemy behind my back? When you are supposed to be MY fiancé?"

"Will, I. . ."

"There is no apology that fits this, Elizabeth. Yes, I care for Jack as a friend but he always seems to get me farthest away from what I want to have the most." He moved from the railing and took her wrist harshly, held it a while, gazing down at her as she shrunk back and tried to move away. "You will act as if he doesn't exist when we see him, or by God, Elizabeth I will turn us both in to the gallows."

She stared at him in disbelief, in horror. He would never and yet, when she looked into his beautiful brown eyes and read that pain and anger, she knew he would. She freed herself and ran back down to her room, flung the door shut and locked it, threw herself to the bed and cried for a bit until she was too warm to stay awake.

* * *

Warmth, the kind of warmth you never feel at sea during the night, even in the Caribbean. She was so hot and when her eyes fluttered open she realized she'd slept for hours. Half the day. She looked about her room and looked around, her neck and face slick with sweat that made her feel uncomfortable and sticky. She tried to sit up but a strong hand coaxed her to lay back, and so she did.

"Easy there now, you've got the Scarlet Fever." Came Barbossa's softened voice. "You're hotter than a tin roof, have a peeling rash and appear to be showing some strawberry tongue." She heard water dripping into water and then a cool rag was on her forehead, she was grateful for the feeling. "We're going to make a stop at land to get you to a doctor."

"We can't," she whispered. "Jack . . ."

"Jack Sparrow will have to wait. Master turner will not permit us to go any further without you seeing a doctor. He wanted me to bring him to you when you awoke but I suspect you'd rather me say you're still sleeping." He said softly, standing from her bedside. "I'll send someone in to continue tending to you."

She watched him leave, her vision was swimming, hazy. She had a headache and felt she may throw up at any given moment, even though she hadn't eaten at all. She suspected they'd tried to force feed her in her sleep. Her eyes grew dim again and she passed out just as a crew member came in to dump the bucket and bring cooler water to use with the rag.

Her eyes opened on the Pearl again, the wind was cool, a substantial relief to her fiery skin. She still felt ill but rather improved, her heartbeat was rising at just the thought that she may see him tonight. That they would speak again. Her husband, her captain and soon to be her lover. Perhaps tonight he would have more time. . ._Don't be so brazen, Elizabeth_.

"Hello love."

She turned to him, felt sweat filming her brow again despite the sea air but still smiled when she saw him, brushed some hair from the face. "Jack, I'm so glad to speak to you." She murmured, her voice weak, her body feeling as though she may sway at any moment. She began to fall downward, still smiling when he caught her in his arms and moved to his knees.

"Elizabeth!" She looked up into his eyes and read concern, smiled more softly and reached to touch his face. "Oh Jack, I'm ill. I caught the Scarlet Fever and Will is making me go to land for help, but I see no benefit. If he knew I saw you tonight, he would let me die." She shook her head. "He wants me to pretend I don't know you when we reach you, that nothing happened between us but I. . .I don't want to."

"You don't have to." He said rather gruffly with a sneer, wiping some sweat from her face. "He can't make you do anything, Elizabeth. You are not _his_ wife, _savvy?_"

"Oh Jack," she shook her head, growing tearful. "He'll take us before the East India Company should I not comply and I cannot simply ignore that. I'd be hung with him and he would win. At least this way I'll be with him wishing it was you." Her voice grew to be a whisper toward the end.

"Elizabeth I am not gonna let you go." He looked around, the dream was fading. "I had hoped I wouldn't have to do this but I'm gonna bring you to be with me here." He let her slide to the deck and moved to the helm, spun the wheel once clockwise and then twice counterclockwise. The dream was gone, she was laying on the sand now, it was not quite daylight. She looked around, frightened and shocked and when she saw Jack above her she nearly jumped, he was not as well kept as the dream had let her believe.

"I'm gonna get you help." He said softly. "But we have to get past Davy, all right? He's the way to the Pearl." He stood and helped her into his arms, carried her around the bay of that little island so she could see the Flying Dutchman just offshore. "I'm gonna send you in the boat I found, you distract Davy, I'll come about on the Pearl and get you and then we'll find some way to get away."

"Jack," she whimpered. "There's no way anything is going to go that smoothly. Besides, the Pearl went down in pieces, did it not?"

"Love," his smile was somewhat devilish. "The Pearl never goes down for good, even if it were just ashes sinking. Now come on, find your strength." He helped her into the boat. "I know you can do this. I have faith in you, Elizabeth Swann."

"Elizabeth Sparrow." She said softly and pushed the boat off with what little strength she could muster, he watcher her for a moment and then ran into the shallow water and grabbed the boat. She gazed at him curiously and he moved around to kiss her very softly. No words were needed now. She moved from him and rowed back as hard as she could. She climbed the rope of the ship and took a while to gather her breath before calling out to the working crew.

"I want to speak with Davy Jones. Immediately."

They all stared at her and then looked up at the grim, frightening sound of a . . well some form of a foot and a peg beating against the deck as he made his way down onto the lower deck where Elizabeth half stood, drenched in her sweat. He eyed her carefully, recognized her almost immediately. "Ah, young Mr. Turner's. . ." He paused, catching her hand in his gaze, stared at it and then looked at her, suddenly enraged. "Jack Sparrow's bride?"

She took a deep breath, trying to keep her wit together. "I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostility against my husband." She said softly, all that came to mind, she could almost hear Barbossa inside of Davy. She hoped to God Will wasn't wigging royally right now. She swallowed thickly after a silent moment.

"I will negotiate nothing. . ."

"You will, or else I'll serve you to the King as a five course meal myself." She said hotly. "Do not underestimate me, Mr. Jones. Being someone who has loved and lost, I would imagine you would be able to reason with Jack and I, especially now that your heart is in the hands of the enemy to both of us."

He looked over to her and considered what she had said. "I might mistake you for delirious did you not make more sense. But I have never made to be an ally to anyone before, why should you and the Captain be any different? Speak quickly or both of you will be dinner to my Kracken before he even steers the Pearl over here."

She gulped at that, getting too hot. "Jack and I are an unbeatable pair, we've presented that too many times already. He never loses to anything, he even cheats death. We can get your heart back and come to some form of an agreement should we be able to earn your trust, perhaps not your liking, but your trust would be crucial and as his wife, I would see to that he did keep his word."

He considered her a moment and whistled. Two crewmen came out carrying a sort of gurney and she was brought to lay on it, realized one of them was Will's father, Bootstrap Bill. His eyes seemed sympathetic but then, they always had. She looked to Davy with worry written on her every feature, and saw Jack be pulled onto the ship behind him. "Fear not Mrs. Sparrow, we shall see about thwarting William Turner, as he is coming this way, and when you are better you can help in planning the Commodore's downfall. It will take but a night."

She was carried away, wanting to call out to Jack but too tired to fight or suspect anything may be wrong, and it wasn't. Davy was highly interested in the idea of taking over the sea with some help. Jack looked to him once Elizabeth was gone. "Mind filling me in, or shall I run to save her?"

"She'll be fine, she is in good. . . hands." He smiled menacingly and led Jack up to the helm to discuss fighting Will without harming anyone else.

* * *

Elizabeth woke feeling refreshed, other than that disgusting stench that was wafting her way. She turned from it and heard someone yelp in pain, looked to Jack and saw she had lain right on his arm. She moved off of it quickly and sat up, pushing hair from her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't see it there."

"'s all right." He muttered, rubbing the arm and sitting straight as well. "Are you ok?"

She nodded a little, raising her eyes to look into his. "I feel much better. Except for this disgusting. . .sticky feeling all over me." She moved her arms for emphasis on how her skin stuck to her clothing.

Jack nodded and pointed to the door nearby. "You can go bathe, I was just. . .well I didn't feel comfortable with you bein' alone." He handed her some plain but clean nightclothes and waited in the room as she bathed and washed her hair. She came out with her hair hanging around her shoulders, damp and dark in the moonlight. "I know this may sound strange but. . ." He paused. "You look . . really. . ."

"Compliments are not your strength, Jack, nor do I expect you to use them any more than you did." She sat on the bed, which he had changed and made up so she wouldn't sleep in the previous few hours' sweat. He nodded a little and reached to brush hair from her face, having bathed and changed himself shortly after boarding.

"Look I know this may be. . .strange. It's strange for me as well. But. . . I think I can change, for the better if not only just for you so . . let's. . . not be too pessimistic, aye?" He hadn't made the least bit of sense but somehow she knew what he meant. She smiled lightly and wet her lips, eyes lowering briefly before she laid back on the bed. She beckoned him to her, her heart beginning to pound wildly in her chest.

He watched her in shock, suddenly very uncomfortable, moving to go to the door. "I can't Elizabeth, I mean . . ."

"Am I wrong or does a marriage have to be consummated before it is legal? Besides, Jack. I thought we understood that we both wanted each other and cared for one another enough to be married and make said marriage work."

Jack swallowed hard, eyes moving wildly from her to the door. "Yes, yes, you're all right but you see, you've just been very ill and we're both very tired and there's pain and mess involved and. . and heat and. . and. . ." He swallowed, his mouth becoming dry. "I just don't want to hurt you."

She stood and moved to him, took his face into her hands. "Then do not push me away when I so freely offer myself to you." She murmured, bringing his face down for a kiss, moving her lips across his softly. His arms were around her suddenly and his mouth was on hers, his tongue moving to meet hers.

She moved back to lay on the bed again, this time he joined her. Her thoughts raced from that moment on and were never quite clear through the rest of the night. The pain was brief, he seemed to know how to make it hurt less, or at least so it wouldn't last the entire night. Once it was over and they were lying there, him half asleep, the full impact of it hit her and she couldn't hide a smile.

Torn tissues stung lightly even now, but it wasn't something she would lie in bed for two days, moaning over as her cousin Lissy had. She looked at him as he slept, he was considerably older than her but by no means old, nor did he look old. Mature, well learnt in the ways of life, but not old. She soon fell asleep there, woke up alone but was not hindered by this. She dressed and went onto the deck where he stood, watching the waves.

"Jack?" He turned to her and she smiled timidly, afraid she may have upset him somehow. He did not smile but he did not glare, he looked content yet. . .troubled. She moved to stand by him and looked down over the port side. "What is it?"

He sighed deeply. "You do realize now, Elizabeth, you can never ever return home? That you'll never see Port Royal again? At least not while all the current law is there? I do not want that sort of life for you, the kind of life I've been forced to live."

She nodded slightly, thinking everything through calmly. "Jack, you lived it alone. And no matter what one says, one never wants to always live alone. Living alone is so much different from living with someone you care for," she tilted her head, watched him carefully. "Someone who cares for you."

He looked over at her and moved from the railing to go up a deck. "We're going to be making berth in Oranjestad. I trust you'll be rested up, because we have quite a bit of hiding to do, we need to make Turner believe you cannot be found."

"Cannot be found? I thought we were going to fight him!" She cried, following after him. He stopped midstep and sighed softly, turned to her with a tired expression. "Elizabeth, there's no sense in killing a young man who can simply forget you and move on. Aruba is nice, this time of year. You should enjoy it immensely." He turned again and went up the stairs, leaving her to sit on the deck and stare out onto the ocean.

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Review please! Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter! 


	3. Chapter 3

_Ends of the World_

_**Chapter Three**_

_Life Was Never Meant To Come From Us_

* * *

Oranjestad welcomed them rather heartily, and Elizabeth found herself the certain of attention of dozens of women there. They lived in a small seaside home, the only way Jack would live. She bought some clean, new simple clothes with money she'd had stowed away over the time from port to port on their way to Aruba. It was an odd, rather difficult change to get used to but soon she realized these clothes, though not as extravagant, were more comfortable.

Weeks went by, which turned into one month and then two. She was growing more comfortable with Jack not so much because they were getting to know each other, because they weren't. No, she was comfortable because it all became a habit. She knew his every move and had him timed to a tee. The only thing that was spontaneous was their lovemaking, and she rather preferred not to know when it would happen. It would grow dull if she could put a timer on that.

She wasn't well again into the second month, only now he was less interested in her and her health. He would sit in the parlor and draw out maps on his rickety wooden desk. A few nights into her illness she went out past the porch to the shoreline, sat in the shallow water and sand, her knees drawn up, cheek to one of them as she cried quietly. She'd been out there for some twenty minutes or so when a lady friend of Jack's came by and saw her, pulled her from the water.

"Why Elizabeth! You'll catch your death! The tide is strong around here. What on earth possessed you to sit out there?" She was a kind lady, Jack's age, maybe slightly younger. She wiped the tears from Elizabeth's face and sat with her farther back from the water in the sand.

"Oh," Elizabeth sighed softly. "I wasn't thinking about the water so much, in fact I wasn't thinking of it at all. I just. .I haven't been very well, I'm nauseated, tired, and Jack's so preoccupied with those damned useless maps that he couldn't care less."

The lady nodded a little and looked at her, felt her forehead gently. "You don't have a fever, have you vomited at all?"

Elizabeth seemed to pause in thought but then nodded. "Yes, nearly every day. 'Tis strange."

To Elizabeth's surprise, the lady began to laugh a little, the back of her hand pressed to her mouth to try and keep as polite as possible. When she saw Elizabeth's questioning glance she calmed a bit, her voice filled with mirth when she spoke again. "Oh I am sorry, dear. It's just so obvious but you've never had a woman around to know. Dear, you're with child."

Elizabeth stared at her with a less than humored expression for a short moment and then finally realized that this lady was not kidding. She looked back toward the water and hugged her knees, her mouth hanging open until she sobbed softly. "No, I can't be. This isn't fair at all, I've only just gotten used to everything and. . .and it makes sense!"

The lady patted her shoulder. "I'll come visit another night, but don't take it too hard on yourself, after all. It takes two to tango, dear. Also, be sure to have all his attention when you tell him or you may as well not, but I'm sure you know that already from having lived with him." She stood and brushed the sand from her clothes, walked back in the direction of her home.

Elizabeth came inside about an hour later to find most of the house dark except for the bedroom. Light poured out from under the door but she hadn't the nerve to face Jack yet. She sat, instead, on the sofa in the parlor and gazed out the dark window behind herself. A few moments later, when he had heard her come in but she hadn't come to him he came into the room, usual white blouse gone, in just his pants and bandanna. She looked up at him with reddened, damp eyes and then quickly looked out the window again. "J-jack . ." She said softly, curtly.

Jack watched her, not really sure how to go about "comforting" her. He swallowed thickly and moved to sit by her. His hand hovered above her calf uncertainly for a moment, then he lowered it, shaking onto her. She sobbed softly but muffled it, trying to stop herself from crying outright again. "Jack I want to be alone. . .". _You'll never be alone again._

He frowned deeply and despite quite a fuss from her end, picked her up and held her to him, even as she beat at his chest and tried to wiggle away. She calmed soon, and he ran his hands clumsily up and down her back, amazingly, it was rather soothing and she calmed considerably. Her sobbing was now little whimpers every now and then. "What is it, love? What's gone on that has you so upset?"

"It wasn't meant to happen," she murmured, turning her face away from him. "Life was never meant to come from us. Us, Jack, two people who barely speak. Two people who were married of their own free wills yet know nothing about one another. We of all people, of all the couples in the world, against odds of those who would love to conceive a child and can't, we were not meant to create life."

His hold on her grew quite limp and he slipped back to look at her in the darkness. His mouth was wide open, shock written on his every feature from his dark eyes to his mouth and the general expression his cheeks and forehead formed around them. She watched his face and grew more disheartened, Jack Sparrow was nearly twice her age, if not that much. He surely was not in the market for having children.

He wet his lips and sat back, looking away from her as he gathered his thoughts as best as he could. He spoke in a soft, husky voice after a few moments. "I don't. . know what to say, I can't lie and say I'm excited about this." At least he was being honest but then, perhaps he was being a bit too honest.

She sniffled and stood from the couch, went back out onto the porch, her arms crossed over herself. Everything grew silent save an occasional sob from her, one hand slid to touch the part of her body which the child slept in briefly, but she pulled it away as if she were on fire when the door opened, and she looked at him with tearful eyes. "I didn't ask for this, Jack. Were I given a choice I . . I would have said no."

He studied her expression and the way she had paused mid-sentence. "No you wouldn't have." He said cooly. "You would have welcomed it and run from me to raise it on your own, watched it grow up and become a younger version of me and realized how you missed me and how you loved me and wished I was there."

"Never." She said in a low voice. "I would never have kept. . .Oh, Jack! We can't have a child!"

He bit his lip briefly and moved closer, stood behind her and gently rubbed her shoulders. "Oh? And why not?"

"Well for one I'm still rather a child myself and well, you act like one."

"We can," he said resolutely. "I can do anything, escape any bad ending and though I'll admit, it scares me to think we will, I'm not going to push you and this child away. This child is both of us growing inside of you and maybe it's a wakeup call, to tell us we've gone about this marriage all wrong." He sighed. "In the morning we'll sit down and just tell each other every little disgusting detail."

She looked up at him, her eyes glassy and slightly wide, but in some odd, unknown way, she trusted him like she trusted no one else, and it drove her mad. "Do you mean it? We'll really sit down and talk?"

"Cross my heart, swear to die."

* * *

Elizabeth was awoken not quite at dawn when her husband grabbed her up and began to run with her. She opened her eyes and saw that their home was burning rapidly down, and that a ship was not far offshore, firing cannons that way. She was wide awake now and struggled slightly against him. "What's going on?"

"No time to talk, love. Trust me." He ran hard, she could tell he was having slight difficulty carrying her but the moment they were out of range and into the woods where it would be more difficult to find them quickly, he set her down. "Elizabeth, we have to run for the Black Pearl as hard as we can, Norrington and the Turner boy seemed to have found us." He looked back into that direction, could barely see lifeboats rowing through the brush. "And me own crew shot our house down."

She looked to him with teary eyes, her hands held onto his forearms mostly to keep herself up. Her mind was racing and her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. Fear grew within her, instinctively, for her child's life and it was then that she looked directly into his face. "What happens when we reach the Pearl?"

He seemed to sense her suspicion and grew rather uncomfortable, as if he didn't want to have to tell her but he had made her a promise in the beginning, she could trust him. He would not lie to her. "Davy is going to take you to Tortuga, where you'll be safe until I can come for you."

"What?" She moved back, suddenly beginning to panic. "No, I won't do it! If you send me away now I'll never see you again and this child will not know it's father, no! We'll fight this together!"

"Elizabeth," he grasped her arms firmly and looked into her eyes with a stern, no-nonsense expression. "She tipped them off, Norrington's men. They've been watching us for a while and that wretch went to them after talking to you and they rowed back to inform him and William that you are with child. You're a Royal Navy bounty hunter's dream come true, they'd kill you for being with me and to kill my offspring, I cannot put you in the face of danger, or our child."

Elizabeth's face was swimming with tears and she took a deep breath, nodded a little, her lips pursed together to keep herself as quiet as she could. Jack couldn't help but frown and reach out to touch her face, brushing the hair from it as best as he could. "I haven't been the greatest husband and I may not be the greatest expectant father but I swear to you, I will protect the both of you and be back to you soon. Savvy?"

She sobbed softly and flung her arms around him, catching him clearly off guard. He soon settled from his awkward expression into a more comfortable one, slid his arms around her and held her tightly as she cried. She calmed enough to bring herself back and take his face into her hands. She kissed him as any woman would kiss her lover goodbye, every passion in her heart melting into him. She broke it regretfully, shouts in the near distance were growing closer.

"Come on then." He said, his voice more broken than she had ever heard it in the years since she had first met him.

She grabbed his hand as he stepped forward and he turned to look at her, barely strong enough to endure this as it was, and now she was holding him back. "Jack . . ." How difficult it was to come out with such a thing, such a confession that she never thought he would want to hear. She had to say it. " . . .I love you. . ."

He watched her, his heart secretly triumphing, his lips twitched into a matching smile but he tried to remain brave and only brave. "I know." He said gently, pulled her quickly over the footbridge there and through some more woods until the Pearl came into view at a secret dock in the bay. He stopped and drew his sword, kissed her softly, fleetingly once more. "I can't lead them any closer to you, go on, I have to fight them back from here now so you can get away."

"_Elizabeth!"_

She looked to the cry of her name, knew the voice, nodded to Jack and hurried to the ship. Jack went some ten feet back into the woods when he found what he was looking for, but they didn't see him. He climbed a tree nearby and as they all walked slowly below, searching for her, he shook some coconuts onto their heads, dropped right in front of Will and Norrington, the only two that had been too wise to be hit. "Well hello."

Will raised his sword, face contorted with absolute rage. "Where is she you vile monster?" He asked with a low, dangerous voice. "What have you done with her?"

"She's safe from you," Jack practically spat, dodging an attempted attack from Norrington. "My wife and unborn child are far away from where they can be harmed and brainwashed by you and I intend," he ran his blade across Will's. "To make sure it stays that way."

Although he was angry that Elizabeth had chosen him and that he had always seemed to win, Will could not find it in himself, as Norrington had, to hate Jack. He withdrew his sword and stood calmly, still, then suddenly struck Norrington in the stomach with his elbow, Jack shoved him so his head hit the same coconut tree and he hit the ground, unconscious. Will looked to Jack. "There are others and Tortuga will not be safe for her, Jack. They will hunt her there and clap irons on every pirate they see. You must find a more secluded place."

"I have nowhere else that she would be welcome." Jack growled, sliding his blade away he led Will through the brush only to see that the Pearl was gone. He cursed and ran up further to the end of the island, saw it sailing some yards offshore. "Dammit, I can't reach them, not that far out."

Will bit his lip and looked around. "Well if you're willing to help in a massacre, I'm sure Barbossa will take us to Tortuga after her, we'll only be a day or so behind."

Jack looked over to Will with one raised eyebrow, eyes moving a bit surprised to Will. "Pardon me, Barbossa?"

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

_Ends of the World_

_**Chapter Four**_

_Tragedies Are More Than Old Greek Plays_

* * *

Elizabeth had not been on board the Black Pearl more than ten minutes when she saw Barbossa at the helm, like a proud man returned home from an epic war. She smiled and ran up to him, staying a few feet away. "Jack didn't say you would be here!" She said excitedly, he looked at her, with seemingly lifeless eyes but then he smiled a little to himself.

"Jack didn't know I would be here, Mrs. Sparrow."

She frowned and tilted her head, looking all about the ship. "Well . . where is Davy? He is to take me to Tortuga, until Jack comes back for me, that is. I need to speak with him so he knows to bring us on our way."

"Davy Jones is not on board this ship, he's off to tend to the dozens of soldiers your husband and Master Turner will be killing on the ship we brought. Make himself a bigger crew, I'll be your captain tonight." The ship, she realized, was already moving from port. She sat down on the wooden deck, thinking nothing of it all, really. "We must send Jack a letter soon, thanking him for all he's given me."

She looked at him curiously, her arms wrapping tightly around her knees, which she had drawn up close. "What do you mean, all he has given you? What are you on about? When did you and Jack speak?"

He just smiled and walked to stand with his back to her, facing the crystalline waters, hands clasped politely over his lower back. "My beautiful ship, a beautiful young bride and a child to be on top of it, surely that is enough reward for leaving him to be alive, faking bearings to keep him off from the two of you as long as I did."

"What?" She stood and stormed over to him. "You cannot be serious! My husband will be going to Tortuga shortly to retrieve me, I cannot let you go off with his ship and I certainly will not stay on it with you! I demand you leave at this instant."

He was silent, watched behind her and after a few moments she nervously turned her head to see Jack and Will swimming for the ship they had brought. She turned to Barbossa, eyes stinging with tears, her arms slipping about herself. "What have you done? Why is it you take so much joy in him boarding that ship?"

He smiled coldly at her. "He'll never catch up on it." He replied simply, going to the downstairs to get something to eat and drink. She collapsed to her knees on deck and cried softly for a while until she fell asleep. A crewman lifting her stirred her from her sleep, and she stayed awake until she was laid in a bed. She fell asleep shortly into that and was disheartened when Jack did not come to her, he must not suspect anything. She wished he had given her that ring.

* * *

Jack and Will searched every bit of the ship for Barbossa but found no trace of him, and then suddenly the Flying Dutchman emerged from the waters nearby, deck to deck with the ship the two men and few surviving crew stood on. Jack walked to the side of the deck to be face to face with Davy Jones, upset beyond belief. "Why aren't you on me ship?"

Davy regarded him with surprise, his hideous features contorting in nonchalant carelessness. "I had other things to attend to, what with the sailor deaths in these waters. I went back for it and it was gone. Where is Elizabeth?"

"On it," Jack growled. "And Barbossa is missing from here so I imagine he went off with me ship and me wife and I am _not_ happy about all this." He began to pace the deck, hands wringing nervously. "I don't want to lose the Pearl again but I have more important things at hand. Elizabeth cannot be put under too much stress."

Davy tilted his monstrous head and took a deep breath of the sea air. "They are not far off, the Captain and the girl. Something about her is different, Jack. Why are you so concerned for her now?"

"She's with child." He said softly, pacing more quickly, his eyes seeming to search each wooden plank for a bold and daring idea as to how to rescue his young wife.

Davy nearly stumbled back at this, Bootstrap looking to Will with worry, but soon calming when his son did not show too much sign of distress. Will watched Davy and Davy soon looked at him and shook his head, looked to Jack. "I could send the Kraken. Have it bring her back."

"I don't want her shaken up and manhandled and whatnot, if she loses the child she'd never trust me again and the name of the game to save me marriage right now, is trust." He sighed. "I've screwed up a bit but if I can prove I can be worthy, I can fix it, savvy? I need a good, clean way of getting me girl and me ship back."

Will pondered quietly to himself and looked at his friend after a few silent moments. "Well if I may be so bold as to inject my personal opinion, we should catch them and clap him in irons. He's much to valuable to kill, and not worth trusting."

Davy grinned ferally and pulled Will and Jack on board, along with Gibbs, Cotton, the short pirate, and a few other souls. "Well not even the Black Pearl can match the Dutchman for sea, especially under water! Come, we shall get Elizabeth back soon, very soon. I suspect by afternoon."

* * *

Elizabeth woke again and jumped up from her drowsy state, looking around her in absolute confusion. She was on land, and she didn't remember ever getting off of the Black Pearl. She made an attempt to stand but a strong hand clasped her shoulder and urged her to stay down. "Don't be wandering off now, Elizabeth." Barbossa rasped. "We're going to be having comp'ny in half a moment."

Elizabeth looked at him with wide eyes and tried to pull away. "Please, you have your ship, let me be on my way, I'm of no further use to you." But he held her strong and pulled her from her half risen stance to sit rather harshly.

"Your husband has somethin' of mine and he won't get what's his back without a fair trade." He snarled. A younger pirate, a little older than her perhaps walked up to them and studied them closely, then looked directly at Barbossa.

"Word around has been that you want a word, but yer gonna have to be on yer way, Barbossa. I see no profit in this scam for me." He caught Elizabeth's gaze and she nearly cried out in surprise, recognized those eyes too well. The eyes of her husband. Jack Sparrow's eyes, but this, most certainly was NOT Jack Sparrow.

Barbossa smiled when he saw her expression and looked to him, nodded to the girl. "How about the key to finding your father, young James?"

* * *

The water was still. Not a sound from gull nor wave. The Flying Dutchman was five or so feet from the deck of the slowed Black Pearl. Without any form of warning, cry or shot or whatnot, Jack Sparrow took a rope and swung onto his ship's deck. It was eerily silent and he didn't like it. Will Turner and Davy Jones himself followed, and the three of them charged room after room to the very keel but found no trace of Elizabeth or Barbossa or anyone else. Jack walked to the helm of his ship and looked at the piece of paper pinned there by a dagger, ripped it off.

"James Worraps James Sparrow. Son of . . Caroline Beaufemme and J-jack Sparrow. Antilles." He looked to the island they were just offshore from and then to Will. He swallowed thickly. "Davy, I need you to watch me ship, make sure no man not approved by me gets on. Will, we have to go find me wife. . . and me son."

* * *

Will raised his eyes from the dirt to where Barbossa sat with a young pirate drinking, Elizabeth sat next to them, looking fearfully around. He tilted his sword slightly to signal to Jack that he had spotted them and to his surprise, Sparrow walked right up to Barbossa and held his sword to his once first mate's throat. "You let her go you mangy cur, or I'll gilly you right here."

"Jack," Elizabeth whispered, voice shaken with tears. The younger pirate drew his sword and held it to her waist, his cold, identical eyes never straying from Jack as he did so and waited.

"I'll gut her the moment your stroke falls."

Elizabeth looked at Jack with tears in her eyes, shaking visibly, unable to stay still against the blade, causing it to cut into her skin just very slightly. She cried harder at this and the pirate moved his sword away a little, looked to Barbossa, then Jack. Jack, enraged, reluctantly lowered his blade. Will approached but acted as though he did not know them, crept around the corner Elizabeth sat at, reached to gently take her hand, ready to yank her away the moment the younger pirate was too preoccupied.

"Y'ave something of mine Jack and I think it's well past time to give it back to me, you spoke to your Elizabeth, you got what you wanted. You got more, so give me back me ring and no harm will come to pass to her." He flashed Jack a look of confidence and the other pirate cursed softly.

He pulled the ring off and set it on the table, but no attempt was made at letting Elizabeth go. He raised a brow and looked between the two men, made an impatient gesture. "Well?"

"Well what?" Barbossa asked, sneering slightly. "That all you came here for? Your _child bride_?"

"Course not, the lad too. Let's throw a deck party!" He said with a convincing yet false smile. "It's only about time I learnt I had another child. Very interesting indeed and I would take custody were he too young to fend for himself, like the other one is so if you don't mind. . ."

The younger pirate drew his blade and stood as Jack made his way to his wife, held it to his father's throat. "You will not take another step until you hear what I have to say. All my life my mother tried to reach you but you were always 'busy'. Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Royal, you never made one inch to learn of my existence, be a true father to me. Teach me to be a pirate instead of me learning from a complete stranger!" He shook his head, this boy reminded him of Will, too much. "Now you have moved on, my mother is dead and you are having another child with a woman my age, I ought to spare it the life it wouldn't want to miss and cut it from her womb this moment!"

Will took this opportunity to yank Elizabeth over to him, and hurry out the door, but James made no move for her, she was not who he was looking for. Jack swallowed thickly and stepped back from James' blade. "Had I known somehow, I would have come back for you, honestly. But I didn't and now it's too late. You're all grown up and learnt." He made to leave.

"Then I want to be part of your crew, one of your boys. You owe me a few years of pirating, and I will not rest until I have had it." He put his sword away. "From the looks of it, you needed a crew anyway."

"Mine is somewhat diminished, true." He studied him, he seemed strong and he was definitely brave. "You're welcome to join us James." He looked to Barbossa. "As for you," he drew his sword and moved to the apple near Barbossa. "Y'ever threaten me wife in any way shoe or form again. . ." He sliced the apple down the middle and met Barbossa's gaze. "Savvy?" He sheathed his sword again and made his way out, James following.

* * *

Elizabeth had taken three or four steps out with Will when an obnoxious, drunken pirate slammed suddenly into her from seemingly out of nowhere. She gasped sharply and fell to her knees, clutching her body tightly, pain starting to go through her in jolts from her pelvis to her chest. She breathed more shallowly, unable to move her lower body enough to take big gulps of breaths. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she moaned and whined in pain as she slowly sunk to lay on the ground.

Will, in a blaze of anger cut the pirate's legs at the back of the knee and quickly dropped to her side. He ran his hands through her hair, over her middrift, trying desperately to soothe his ex-fiancée. But it was to no avail, she began to cry softly just as he heard Jack and James exiting. Jack came up and shoved Will out of his way, turned Elizabeth onto her back, saw how she held herself and the tears pouring down her face. He picked her up into his arms and looked to his grown son. "Where is the nearest medical outpost?"

James led them, rather than directed, and Elizabeth was taken hurriedly in. Fifteen or so minutes later a nurse came out for Jack, did not speak the language to give him any answers. Will and James waited outside for them. The middle aged pirate made his way quickly to his wife's side and took her hand, brushed kisses over her knuckles. "Elizabeth?"

She looked to him, hair clinging to her sweaty neck and face, which was slightly reddened. She sniffled softly, though it made a loud noise and slid her fingers to entwine with his. "I . .lost the baby." She said softly, the first time she had referred to it as being a baby. Jack's expression sank and she began to cry again, he held her until his own grief stopped him from consoling her himself.

He darted past James and Will to be outside, facing the ocean. Will was the first to follow him out, angered by his sudden ignorance. "What is going on Jack? Is Elizabeth all right? The baby?"

Jack took a deep, long breath and then turned to face Will, the sight of him shocked his young friend. His eyes were red and tears had dampened his under-eye-makeup and made it run slightly. He turned back from Will, hoping that the first sign of pain he had shown him ever would be more than enough of an answer to his questions. Will went in to see Elizabeth and Jack fell to his knees in the sand, did not look up when James sat next to him. He calmed himself considerably before he spoke.

"It's taken me years to get here. I wasted my youth being a buccaneer, a fearless beast of the sea and I never took what all young men should. A bride, children. I'm growing older now, James and I want those things. And I keep coming so close to losing the love that made me win her over in the first place. Then we lose the child we never expected, the child that maybe would have helped me finally grow up." He composed himself, looked to his son. "Here's the first father-son lesson, don't be like me."

* * *

Elizabeth looked to Will with a tear soaked face as he entered, sobbed softly and opened her arms to him. He went to her and held her tight, ran his fingers protectively through her hair. "I just spoke to Jack, or at least I think I did. He was like a ghost, Elizabeth, there was no life in his eyes and. . . he was crying."

"I don't believe you. Do you mean to say Jack Sparrow may be human?" She whispered, wiping her face with the backs of her hands.

"Come off it, I've only ever meant well." He said softly, sitting with her. "I'm so worried for you, you've changed so much, Elizabeth Swann. I wonder if taking you away would clear your head and make you the way you were." He stroked hair gingerly from her face.

"It would," she said honestly, then looked to him. "But it would make me into the person I don't like being again. And I've fought so hard and so long to get to where I am, Will." She bit her lip, looked at her lap. "The baby will be buried here, with the other lost ones. I know this has been difficult for you, but thank you. For being here for me."

He took a deep breath and nodded, speaking barely past a lump in his throat. "I will _always_ love and look out for you, Elizabeth." He said softly. "But my place is in Port Royal, in the gallows. So I'll be heading back there tomorrow at sunrise."

Elizabeth looked at him with wide eyes. "You cannot, you'll be killed, I will not see you dead."

He stood up and kissed her hand. "I love you, Elizabeth Sparrow."And with that he left the room before she could protest further. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"I love you, William Turner."

* * *

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